Coachella Day 3: The Weeknd of Hives and Justice

By emily

Created 04/18/2012 - 12:17pm

All photos by Eric Lynch.

Bears, bloggers and bands, oh my. Sunday indeed brought sun, by mid afternoon all the good shadows were occupied -- the lengths of tree shadows, behind garbage cans, and next to the churro stand. I arrived just as the largest crowd yet was dissipating from Santigold.

Schoolmarms, Real Estate did nothing to upset our expectations with their "variations on a single theme" set. Sweet and predictable, like watching old episodes of I Love Lucy to help you sleep -- you don't have to see what's going to happen, because you already know and everything's going to be OK.

The Weeknd captivated with a solid and lively performance. Good stuff.

The Hives were a trip for me. Three songs in the photo pit and I got pushed, trampled, and shoved so many times by photogs trying to get "the shot," I just kept thinking, "What is this guy, Kanye or something?" I mean c'mon. But Pelle Almqvist was this photographer's dream. Jumping over the first two pits, climbing on speakers, throwing his mike while doing jumps. These guys were 1920s street buskers with trampolines, and believe me, I was buying.

If Radiohead had their wall of recyclable plastic bottles, then French duo, Justice had their wall of Marshall '60s speakers-cum-light modulators. If there's that many knobs on the front of their set, what the hell is going on on the side? From wherever they conjure those sounds, this Justice-novice is glad the facade is not broken.